Maxillary Lateral Incisor Injection Pain Using the Dentapen Electronic Syringe

Area of Science:

• Dentistry
• Pain Management
• Anesthesiology

Background:

• Dental anxiety is often linked to local anesthetic administration.
• The Dentapen is a computer-controlled device designed to minimize injection pain by regulating anesthetic flow.
• This study investigates pain perception differences between two Dentapen modes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare perceived pain during maxillary lateral incisor anesthesia using Dentapen's ramp-up versus continuous injection modes.
• To evaluate the efficacy of different anesthetic delivery rates in managing injection discomfort.

Main Methods:

• A randomized, double-blind, crossover study design was employed.
• 116 participants received local anesthesia via Dentapen in two separate visits, using either ramp-up or continuous mode.
• Pain was assessed using the Heft-Parker visual analog scale at needle insertion, placement, and solution deposition.

Main Results:

• The ramp-up mode showed lower mean perceived pain (51.98) than the continuous mode (59.98) at solution deposition.
• While not statistically significant (P > .05), the ramp-up mode's pain perception was in the mild range, versus moderate/severe for continuous mode.
• No significant difference in perceived pain was found between the two modes.

Conclusions:

• The ramp-up mode of the Dentapen demonstrated a trend towards reduced pain perception during dental injections.
• Further investigation is warranted to explore the ramp-up mode's potential for pain reduction in other dental injection scenarios.